Flora of New Zealand Series

Pteris rotundifolia Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 79.

Platyloma rotundifolia J. Smith in J. Bot. 4, 1841, 160.

Allosurus rotundifolius Kunze in Linnaea 28, 1856, 219.

Rhizome rather stout, creeping, clad when young in brown linear-attenuate paleae c.3mm.long; stipites clustered along rhizome. Stipes stout, erect to procumbent, 5-15 cm. long, densely clad in dark reddish brown, squarrose, bristly paleae mingled with hairs. Rhachis similar to stipes, bearing numerous (up to 30 or more pairs) subopp. to alt. pinnae. Lamina narrow-oblong, coriac., glab. or nearly so, 15-30-(40) × 2-4cm., dull dark green above, paler below; veins hidden. Pinnae patent, narrow-oblong to oblong to suborbicular, shortly stalked or upper sessile (rarely all sessile by widened base), rounded to truncate or subcuneate at base, obtuse but us. apiculate at apex; 1-2 cm. × 5-15 mm.; margins ± crenulate, on barren pinnae often irregularly and very shallowly lobed or subpandurate. Sori becoming coalescent in broad band near margins, not reaching base or apex of pinna, at first ± protected by reflexed margin of pinna, up to c. 1·5 cm. × 2 mm.

DIST.: Three Kings, N., S., Ch. Coastal to montane forest and rocky places (these often reduced) throughout. Also Norfolk Id and Australia. Forster's diagnosis is: "frondibus pinnatis hispidis: pinnis suboppositis subrotundis, obsolete crenatis."